Alex Neil from consumer group Which? told the Sun Online that British Airways is still failing its customers nearly two months after the event.

He said: “We've heard from passengers who have had a tough time trying to claim what they are owed, and with BA not giving those who have claimed a clear answer on when they can expect their money, this misery is only being prolonged.

“We want to see airlines change their compensation process so that, where possible, passengers are compensated automatically for delays and cancellations.”

Under EU law, passengers whose flights are cancelled - or delayed by three hours or more- are entitled to compensation.

The amount depends on the length of their trip. For short flights of up the payment is £218; for medium-haul flights it is £348 and £523 for long haul.

A spokesperson for British Airways told the Sun Online tens of thousands of customers already have had their compensation and refunds since May.

How to protect your holiday in future

THERE are steps you can take to protect yourself financially in the event of delayed or cancelled flights.

If you have adequate insurance, you should be covered on that for baggage loss, or some other travel expenses.

Make sure that you have a reasonable excess payment and that you're covered for cancellation - otherwise you won't be able to claim.

If you book your flights on a credit card, you are protected under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, which gives consumers extra protection when things go wrong.

It means that you might be able to claim back the cost of a your hotel, flights or other holiday bookings, if you're not able to use them.

These payments must be over £100 and no more than £30,000.

The spokesperson added that the company aims for 14 days to process completed claims - ones that include all the flight details, receipts and documents – but complex cases are taking a little longer.

“We have put additional resource into our customer relations teams, and tens of thousands of payments have already been made to customers who have completed their claims,” a spokesperson for British Airways said.

Compensation: What are your rights?

WHAT the law says you ARE entitled to if the disruption was within airline’s control:

Free food and accommodation – For overnight delays, airlines must provide accommodation and transfers between the airport and the hotel.

Refunds – Airlines have to offer full refunds, paid within seven days, or re-bookings for a flight cancelled at short notice.Cancellation compensation amounts are £218 for short-haul, £384 for medium-haul and £523 for long-haul.

Claim – To claim your compensation visit British Airway’s compensation page.
If you’re not able to claim online, you can write to: British Airways Customer Relations, EU Compensation Claims, PO Box 1126, Uxbridge, UB8 9XS
If your claim is rejected – and you think you have a case – you can raise a complaint through the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for free.

Is this an “extraordinary circumstance”? – If a flight is cancelled or delayed for a reason which is out of the airline’s control – like extreme weather – then the airline does not have to pay compensation to passenger.

“We are processing claims as quickly as possible, and thank our customers for their patience,” the company added.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) told the Sun Online that if a passenger has not heard from an airline, within eight weeks of making a complaint, they can submit their claim to the Alternative Disruption Resolution (ADR), and it will investigate on their behalf.

ADR bodies have been approved by the CAA for helping to find a resolution between consumers and businesses without going to court.

British Airway agreed to participate in the ADR scheme and its dedicated body is the CEDR.

The Sun Online previously explained how to claim compensation if you were delayed or left stranded as a result of the British Airways IT failure.

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